What was cooking has now boiled over
How is the ongoing rivalry between ruling party members going to play out? What do we know about Bashudev Bhandari's disappearance and other updates in this week's newsletter.
The rain just isn’t willing to quit over Goa and the final week of September was marked by flooding, water logging and the usual instances of people getting stranded. Thankfully it has since receded somewhat allowing for the state’s political class to resume kicking up dust. So stick with me as I take you through the highlights of this week and what it could mean for the state going ahead.
What was cooking has now boiled over
The main headline from this week is one that hasn’t appeared in any newspapers or online media. And in fact, if you don’t read between the lines, it is possible that you missed it completely.
As I mentioned in my newsletter last week, something is cooking on Goa’s political scene. Well, even as it continues to cook, some of the stuff that was cooking has now boiled over and spilt out in the open.
On Sunday, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant released a video message, alleging there were concerted attempts to tarnish his image and that “it is evident what the intentions behind the video are.”
“Many Goans already know who is behind these videos,” Sawant said.
That wasn’t all. The following day, two cabinet ministers, Subhash Shirodkar and Rohan Khaunte, addressed a press conference at the BJP state headquarters to throw their weight behind Sawant and tell the media that Sawant is doing a good job and the party and the ministers are fully behind him.
It reminds me of a quote that has been attributed to Otto Von Bismarck: “Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.”
So what is going on really?
In simple words, nothing other than a good old-fashioned political rivalry. None of this is new and has been going on for a while, and much of the history of the conflict can be found in this story I had written last year (paywalled) [full text can be found here].
Since then, however, things have only got worse. The origins of the current bout can be traced back to what transpired in and around the monsoon session of the Goa Legislative Assembly, during which questions of rampant hill cutting in Goa were linked to the Wayanad tragedy. Questions were asked of the Goa government’s approval of a bill seeking to exempt the Calangute Candolim ODP from judicial oversight as well as large-scale land conversions in Goa.
It ended with the Chief Minister promising to crack down on illegal hill cutting, making officers of the Revenue Department responsible for reporting and acting against illegal hill cutting, and more recently,'suggesting’ that permissions for the Bhutani project at Sancoale be revoked if violations were found and that permissions for mega projects be routed through the Chief Minister’s Office. Moves that were seen to be snubbing TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane.
Rane hit back by claiming that the TCP portfolio was given to him by the “central government” and that he or his department have issued no permissions for hill cutting—the implication being that since the Revenue Department is now empowered to act against hill cutting, it’s their job.
What does this mean for us?
Complete unaccountability and blame game. For example, when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was asked about the protests he faced for attending a Bhutani-sponsored private event, he said neither he nor any of his departments had anything to do with granting any of the permissions for the project.
When Rane issued a statement saying he was re-examining the permissions granted for the Bhutani project, he somewhat dubiously claimed that he had not issued any permissions for the project. I’m not sure what exactly he meant by that because the MPDA issued permission for the project in February this year, based on ‘approval of the government’ which was issued in January this year. Rane was TCP minister and Chairman of the TCP Board during the above-mentioned periods.
And if in trying to distance themselves from the approvals granted for the project they both have washed their hands, then by corollary it means that there is something very indefensible about this project (and the many others they have denied approving) and the onus should lie on them to undo the damage.
But who is willing to own up?
What happens next?
For one, something’s got to give. The BJP high command and leadership will be eager to put a lid on things, especially since they can’t keep having to defend the government. Just this week the government was left red-faced after Rane demanded that the government create 22,000 jobs, forcing state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade to clarify that he would speak to Rane to not speak out of turn.
So the only question is, who do I put my money on?
On one hand, Pramod Sawant has been the only ‘core’ member of the ruling BJP, schooled in the ways of the RSS since his early days, and as such, was the only choice that the BJP had when it came to appointing a chief minister. Besides, he is also one who will unquestionably do the bidding of the party high command.
Rane, on the other hand, is a known devil, one who was the target of the BJP’s criticism during their days in opposition between 2007-12, but one who switched parties in 2017 to ensure he remains on the right side of power. At the same time, there’s a reason why he was given the lucrative TCP portfolio, a decision that appears to have been taken in Delhi rather than in Goa, and a reason why he continues to be TCP minister despite the government, much to its embarrassment, being forced to backtrack on several initiatives he championed. Rane also doesn’t appear to be popular among the cabinet, as evidenced by the fact that he was forced to backtrack on the TCP amendment and validation bill.
Sawant, however, appears to have weathered a few battles already. In the clash between him and then Goa Governor Satyapal Malik, the party High Command backed him at Malik’s expense. Will this time be any different? One to watch out for.
St Estevam mishap: Many questions, no answers
Tomorrow will mark one month since Bashudev Bhandari, 22, a businessman from Gujarat, went missing after the rented car he was driving drove into the murky waters off the Santo Estevam Island after what is described as a road rage incident following a minor road accident.
Till date, there has been no trace found, and despite a search and rescue effort, his body has not been found either. This has given rise to several theories ranging from the supernatural to the conspiratorial (claiming he faked his death) in an effort to explain his disappearance.
And this week, his family has spoken up and, in doing so, has raised questions about the entire incident, raising doubts about the survivor’s version of events. They even questioned whether their son and brother was even at the wheel during this time.
As you are probably aware, this incident happened in the dead of the night, and there are no known eyewitnesses. The only possible eyewitnesses besides the survivor, who has already recounted her version of events, are the two people seated in the sedan who allegedly gave chase after the accident.
The duo have been traced, their car found, and their statements recorded. Their version of events is not too different from those given by the survivor (barring certain timing differences), and yet there are doubts.
Firstly, the family has described Bashudev as being a good swimmer and of a robust physique and hence unlikely to drown. Secondly, they say there’s no evidence he was actually at the wheel when the car went into the water, and thirdly, his body hasn’t been found when several others have raised questions about the entire incident.
All of the questions are no doubt valid, especially coming from a family that is still looking for answers.
However, if one were to look at it dispassionately, the sequence of events, though strange and confounding, are definitely plausible. Can a good swimmer drown? A good swimmer is less likely to, but still can drown, especially in unknown waters. Can the body of a drowned person go missing and never be found? Again, it is not too common but definitely a real possibility given the extensive network of rivers, canals, khazans, overgrown vegetation, etc.
Point being, one needs to remain sceptical of everything one sees and hears and not necessarily believe or disbelieve a theory, official or unofficial, until there’s something to hold on to. Just because the official theory has holes or unanswered questions does not automatically mean the conspiracy is true. The truth, in all probability, lies somewhere in between.
The good news is that the Goa Police, with the help of the Navy, have decided to, for now, resume the search. Hopefully the family will find the answers they are looking for.
Sunburn’s search continues
Sunburn's search for a venue to host their year-end music event in Goa goes on. After the GIDC rejected its plea to host the event at the Quitol plateau and the Loutolim gram sabha nixed its plan to have it at the Verna plateau, the organisers have now turned their attentions to Camurlim, a quaint village in north Goa, to host the mega event. While the comunidade has yet to take a decision and the local MLA remained non-committal on the issue, the onus now lies on the average folk, especially those of the Camurlim village and the Tivim constituency, to make their minds known one way or another. Perhaps it is just a ruse to take it back to Anjuna.
And finally, updates from the picket lines
On the activist front, the Bombay High Court at Goa has issued notices to the state government based on the Goa Foundation’s plea challenging the constitutional validity of Section 39(A) of the Town and Country Planning Act.
Moving against the current, the villagers of Poinguinim and Loliem have written to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests commending them for including their villages in the latest draft of the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Areas list and urging them not to withdraw them even if the state government asks them to do so.
And finally, if there’s one place you need to be this week, let it be outside the Town and Country Planning Department Office at Patto, Panaji, on October 1, where activists plan to gather at 3pm to demand the ouster of Chief Town Planner (Planning) Rajesh Naik, who is currently on an extension. The sit-in protest will seek his ouster for having overseen the large-scale conversion of Goa’s land resources over the past two years. Be there!
I hope you enjoyed reading this week’s edition of my newsletter as much as I did writing it. Make sure you leave a like, comment or do not hesitate to write in, should you have something more to say.
As always, please share and help spread the word. Until next week, then. Tchau!
Very informative.. thank you for compiling this together.. God bless you and your initiative.
All sit under the same roof with a few trump cards against each house member. It's a Mexican stand-off which sadly, once again, will need expensive ligation in court to resolve while the perpetrators go scot free.